Hi friends and Happy Monday to you!
It’s almost a week a half after Thanksgiving and I’m just now getting this post out to you. Eeek, sorry!!
In this post I’ve included all of the places we ate, where we stayed and the things we did. At the end of I’ve listed all of the things ya’ll recommended to me from Instagram. You were so helpful and thank you if you left a comment in the question box.
I’m not a pro at navigating the city nor do I know all the ins and outs but I can share a little bit of our experience. This trip was totally spur of the moment and our family really needed it.
We stayed at New York Hilton Midtown for four nights in a king suite. We wanted to make sure the room had views of the Thanksgiving Day parade and it DID! Oh my goodness, it was amazing. If you ever get to go and watch the parade from above, do it!!
It was definitely a little pricey because of the holiday season and booking at the last minute, but totally worth it for a much needed getaway.
Check out the King Suite we stayed in:
The suite gave us a lot of space and if you have kids you know how important that is. Haha!
Ryder slept on the couch and Ryan slept on a tiny blow up mattress we always travel with.
The large window behind them is where we watched the parade, all the way up on the 42nd floor.
CONS:
– they didn’t have a coffee pot in our room and to be honest, this really annoyed me. I get that its just a coffee pot / Keurig but it’s principal. Most hotels these days at least have a mini Keurig in the room for you to use, but not an upscale hotel in the middle of NYC!?!?
What annoyed me the most is that the hotel is aware of this and knows they have a coffee shop downstairs that you’re forced to buy from. It may seem insignificant to some but when staying at a hotel this nice I kind of expected it. Especially if you are on a budget.
The two things that saved our life during this trip are the cozyme insert for Ryans stroller plus the cover that went over the stroller. The cover kept the brisk cold wind off of him, which is something he hates. If you are going to be out and about with a toddler during these winter months I highly recommend purchasing these.
COZYME insert ( only 11 left in stock so HURRY) // Stroller Cover
Food vendors are everywhere and a pretzel is Ryder’s weakness. He devoured this one before we could get back to the hotel.
Ryan took his first cab ride on our way to The 9/11 Memorial and One World Trade Center and he loved it.
I told him to, “SAY CHEESE!!”.
hahaha! He is precious!
The 9/11 Memorial and One World Trade Center
The new World Trade Center is absolutely breathtaking and looking at it made me proud to be an American. It’s probably because I’ll never forget the day, moment or time of where I was when the two towers fell on September 11, 2001 and how scared and sad I was.
I was in eighth grade at Science class and I’ll never forget the images we saw when our teacher turned on the TV.
I did not lose a loved one or have any connection to a certain individual however, standing at the Memorial pools brought me to tears.
But it also brought me peace.
It was a peace that left me knowing that those who lost their lives are remembered by us all and that we will never forget.
You will find all the candy you could ever want at Dylan’s Candy Bar. It’s located in Hudson Yards at
20 Hudson Yards, 4th floor, New York, NY 10001
We walked there all the way from our hotel, The Hilton at Midtown. It was a trek and Trey navigated us the whole way so I just got to follow behind him pushing Ryan and enjoy taking it all in.
Places we ate:
- Bill’s Bar & Burger – $$+ casual laid back burger place
16 West 51st St
New York, NY 10019
We actually ate here on Thanksgiving! haha!! Everywhere was super crowded and this seemed like the most kid friendly place that didn’t require reservations.
What we ordered:
Beer – Trey ordered Bills Pil’s and I had the Coney Island Mermaid Pils. Both were great and took the edge off a long afternoon of walking around a busy NYC on Thanksgiving. HAHA!
Food-
I highly recommend getting the pretzel bites with mustard and cheese sauce. They were fresh, hot and the cheese sauce was addicting.
Trey ordered the smoked bacon chili and the Fat Cat burger. The boys shared the Mini B’s with a few things taken off like the caramelized onions and sauce. Overall, I would give them a 10/10 because we had a great experience.
2. Bryant Park Grill – $$$+ – casual to dressy grill with Parisian style dining
25 W 40th St, New York, NY 10018
They have indoor and outdoor seating however outdoor seating is on a first come first serve basis. The indoor dining room is a little more sophisticated for attire however we were in jeans but slightly dressed up. (Meaning we didn’t wear just jeans and a tee!! Dress it up a bit!)
We sat inside and the tables are pretty close together so we left the stroller in the front area by the maître d’.
What we ordered:
Drinks- I had a mimosa and Trey ordered a Blue Moon White Ale.
The boys both drank OJ in kid friendly cups.
Food- For an appetizer Trey had a dozen raw oysters and we shared the Jumbo Lump Crab Cake with honey mustard sauce (as pictured below). This was SO good!! Very fresh and the mustard sauce made the whole thing.
For entree’s Trey had the Maple Glazed Salmon and I ate the Classic Chicken Caesar salad. My salad was huge and very tasty. If you like to share, two people could definitely share and have an appetizer as your meal. Ryder and Ryan shared pancakes and two orders of sausage.
Beware: an order of sausage is huge. It’s thick like a polish style with mustard sauce. We had no idea how large the order was and so we all ate a little bit since there was so much.
3. FOGO de CHAO – $$+ A Brazilian steakhouse with three levels that includes a lounge area to meet friends and dining options that can accommodate private or semi private seating.
40 W 53rd St.
New York, NY 10019
I WISH I had taken a picture of their salad bar because it was to die for!! Ryder went back four times because he loved picking out everything he wanted on his own. (We accompanied him however they were super nice about having kids there.)
It definitely feels very upscale and while it is they also have a kind laid back vibe as well. Trey found this restaurant while we were walking around and it was a very last minute decision to dine here. I was really unsure because it was so nice and because well, KIDS!! But they let us keep our stroller upstairs and the maître d’ was very nice. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!
Kid’s 6 and under dine for free!!
What we ordered:
Like I said, Ryder devoured everything from the salad bar and ate a little bit of the meat from our meals and Ryan shared with me.
Trey and I both ordered the CHURRASCO EXPERIENCE. This includes the salad bar, four Brazilian side dishes to choose from and continuous tableside service of signature cuts of fire-roasted meat.
Basically it is a lot of meat and gosh was it tasty!! My favorite side was the mashed potatoes. These creamed potatoes literally melted in your mouth and I can still taste them.
The meat was Trey’s favorite part and by the time we left everyone was stuffed.
4. Sweet Tooth – $$
A seasonal popup bar + food hall at Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park.
** Address and Directions–
Bryant Park is situated behind the New York Public Library in Midtown Manhattan, between 40th and 42nd Streets & Fifth and Sixth Avenues.
Take the B, D, F, or M train to 42nd Street/Bryant Park.
Take the 7 train to 5th Avenue.
Driving directions to the park.
We had coffee and the best hot chocolate here. While we sat and watched everyone ice skate at Bryant park I drank their creamy and thick hot chocolate that tasted just like a brownie. Definitely give it a try if you visit! They also have sweets to choose from like the stuffed croissants pictured below.
5. Gregory’s Coffee – this coffee shop has location all over the city.
762 7th Ave
New York, NY 10019
We actually ordered Gregory’s Coffee through UberEats and everything always arrived hot. Unfortunately our hotel room did not have a coffee maker of any sort so we had to go downstairs and order via the hotel coffee shop or order it.
When you have just rolled out of bed and look like cruella deville,
going downstairs in public isn’t at the top of my list on ‘Things to Do’.
No matter, it did give us the chance to drink some really delicious coffee.
Everything is pricey in NYC so remember that 2 cups of coffee plus something from the bakery is going to be well over $20, not including delivery fees.
What we ordered:
Trey drank both the The Drip and The Los Chelazos and said they were delicious. I’m the kind of person that likes a little coffee with my creamer so I drank a Vanilla Latte.
For hot food, The Cinnamon Whirl tasted delicious. It’s a mix between a cinnamon rolls with a croissant like texture. Super yummy!
Recommendations from Instagram on places to eat:
- Johns Pizza in Times Square
- Chelsea Market for tacos and mini donuts
- Forlini’s in Chinatown
- Serendipity for frozen hot chocolate and desserts
- Ess-a-Bagel
- Patsys for good Italian food
- Black Tap for crazy shakes and good kid food like burgers & fries
- Eloise Tea at the Plaza if you have little girls
- Clinton Street Baking Company – try the Wild Maine Blueberry Pancakes
- Little Italy for great Italian food
Recommendations from Instagram on Things to Do:
- Take a walk around Central Park
- Central Park Zoo
- Harry Potter Store – you will need a time to enter so plan appropriately
- Bryant Park Winter Village – shops, ice skating and lots of yummy food
- 9/11 Memorial
- Go see the Rockettes at Radio City Movie Hall
- Take a ride on the Staten Island Ferry – great views + its kid and dog friendly
- Chelsea Pier – lots of activities for kids
- Top of the Rock- great views + they have a military discount
- Visit Times Square at night
- Statue of Liberty
- Visit Dylan’s Candy Store for lots of yummy treats
- Take a ride on the Holiday Train at Botanical Gardens
- Visit the Natural History Museum
- Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge
- See a broadway show
- Go to the Bronx Zoo – “it’s worth the trek” !!
- Take a boat ride to see the Statue of Liberty
- Take the ferry from Midtown to Downtown
- Go to the Seaglass carousel in Battery Park
- Go play at FAO Swartz and see all of the toys
- Visit the tree in Rockefeller Center for all the lights
